Day 108: The Isles of Ireland

17 Decembre 2009 (Day 108)
I met up with the girls for breakfast (luckily I went into the same wash room, I had left my contact solution!) and we had our yummy free breakfast. Bread and jam (we didn’t see the toasters until it was too late; the jam was already on the bread), museli with milk, orange juice, and wheatabix (they are like wheaties in a square that you smash up and add milk and sugar). The girls decided their feet hurt so they weren’t going to come to Howth with me. Howth is a small fisherman’s town about 30 minutes outside of Dublin. I bought a sandwich and fruit and found the train station and went to Howth. On the way I saw a rainbow! It was so cool seeing a rainbow (I actually saw two) in Ireland! It got greener and greener the further out of Dublin we got. Howth is a great fisherman’s town. Being there made me better understand the genetic build of Irish people, as well as their food. It was gorgeous. I took a long walk along the cliffs and looked at the Eye of Ireland (an island) and the waves. It rained a little and was windy, but it was nothing bad. When I was about half-way the trail started getting REALLY muddy. My toes are actually still wet from it. The trail was muddy enough that I decided to cut through the pasture-like cliff side and go down to the path I came up on. It was quite the adventure through the pokeys and almost falling!
I made it down without further incident and walked along the wharf. I found a nice restaurant called Ivan’s so I bought some Fish Chowder in a sourdough bowl. It was very delicious and much better than clam chowder. I took the train back into Dublin and walked back to the hostel going by some other popular monuments that I hadn’t seen (all in all, I didn’t get to see much of Dublin). It started raining with the occasional sleet, so it wasn’t very good for sightseeing. I did go see the outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral again in the light though (it cost 5 euros to go in). I got my bag (the girls had stored it in their locker for me so I didn’t have to take it around since I had already checked out) and went to catch the bus. Now I am sitting in the airport about to board the flight for England!
The flight went well. I ate my chicken sandwich, Irish potato chips (much better than French potato chips), and apple while everyone was standing in line waiting to board (is your seat really that important for a forty minute flight?!). We took off late because it started to hail/sleet so they de-iced the wings. I mostly read on the flight and it wasn’t until we were getting off that the charming cute young businessman who was across the aisle asked me if my shoes were Brooks. This of course led to a running conversation seeing as I am a runner and he does triathlons. We talked all the way to the exit and then my dear bosom Brooks friend left. I was so sad, I was sitting by someone who could have been the perfect husband and I didn’t know until too late. Oh well. Lucky dog is going biking in Wales tomorrow because there are more hills there and it is his day off.
I barely missed the train to go to Chorley by about two minutes (I didn’t know which train to get on so I had to wait in line to ask). It was alright though seeing as the next train was in 30 minutes. I had a nice train ride of about an hour, during which I put my pictures on my laptop. Isabel’s mother came and picked me up at the airport and drove me home. There was snow! It was so great because it really made it feel like Christmas driving in the little town and seeing Christmas lights on houses and snow. The family is super nice. They offered me cookies and cupcakes and hot chocolate (which I refused, how odd for me) and I stayed up a little bit with the parents talking and then we watched the tv for long enough to see that there wasn’t anything good on.
I’m sleeping in Elana’s room. It is a really cute room with pink walls, a light hardwood floor and two twin sized beds with the cutest bedding. It is fun to see her room and all her treasures!